


Tender, Loving Care

by MackenzieW



Series: In Any Universe (OQ Prompt Party) [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, OQ Prompt Party 2018, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-04 23:54:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14031627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MackenzieW/pseuds/MackenzieW
Summary: A glimpse into the future in Second Chance, Best Chance. Robin gets the flu and Regina and the kids take care of him.





	Tender, Loving Care

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt sent specifically for _Second Chance, Best Chance_ \--Regina taking care of Robin. 
> 
> Some spoilers for the story--but it should make those worried since Robin and Regina are fighting right now feel a little bit better as well.

**Based on a prompt sent specifically for** _Second Chance, Best Chance_ **-Regina taking care of Robin**

* * *

"Tink, hold my calls for about a half hour please," Regina instructed her assistant as she returned to her office. "I need some peace and quiet before I deal with anyone else today."

Tink gave her a sympathetic smile. "Meeting that bad?"

"It was just loud," Regina replied, sighing as she placed her hand on the doorknob. "I need some time to hear myself think."

"Understood. Let me know if you need anything." Tink turned back to her computer and Regina happily slipped into her quiet office, closing the door behind her.

It seemed that during the time she had stepped away from her day-to-day duties as President and CEO of Mills Inc., Zelena had given many of the American officers free reign over the company. Now that Regina was back, she discovered a lot of infighting and power plays had stalled many projects and their numbers for the past few quarters weren't where they needed to be. Her decisions now were being met with resistance and she had spent several hours arguing with the people who were supposed to help her run the company. She needed to clear her head before she fired every single person who had been in that meeting.

She did storm over to her computer and fire off a terse email to her sister, asking Zelena to call her the next day. Regina wanted to know exactly how her sister had or hadn't managed in her absence in order to prevent any further problems from bubbling up in the future.

After several minutes of answering easy emails and checking some nonwork-related websites, she felt calmer. While she was still upset, she no longer wanted blood. She figured at the end of her quiet time, she'd ask Tink to set up a follow-up meeting with her officers. There, she would reiterate the chain of command and what she expected of her officers. If anyone continued to give her problems afterwards, she would then fire them.

A beep interrupted her musings, meaning Tink wanted to speak with her. Frowning, Regina held down the blue intercom button on her phone. "Yes, Tink?"

"I have Regan on hold for you," she replied. "Shall I put her through?"

"Yes, please," Regina said, her heart jumping into her throat. Why was her baby girl calling her?

The phone barely finished ringing once when Regina picked it up. "Regan? Sweetie? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Regan replied. "So is Henry. It's Papa."

Panic gripped Regina again. "Why? What's wrong?"

"He looked pale when we left school and he was coughing. When we got home, he said he was going to lie down. He's been asleep on the couch since so Henry went to check on him. He felt hot so we took his temperature. It's one hundred and two, Mom. And his breathing sounds funny, like mine used to sound in the hospital," Regan explained, almost all in one breath.

Regina silently cursed. While the worst of the flu season had passed as spring began to make its presence known, the virus was still making its final rounds. She knew the school had been sanitized from top to bottom before Regan returned but it still seemed to have found a way to take down the new art teacher—her boyfriend, Robin.

"Okay," she said, shutting down her computer. "I'm going to pick something up to help him and then will be right home. You stay away from your father, okay?"

"Yes, Mom," Regan sighed. They said their goodbyes and Regina blew out of her office, telling Tink she had a non-Regan related family emergency and to take any messages while she was gone.

She boarded the elevator and headed down to the parking garage, ready to head home and take care of the man she loved.

* * *

By the time she got home, she had gotten Robin something to lower his fever and relieve the congestion in his chest as well as made him an appointment with Dr. Whale for first thing the next morning. She entered the mansion through the side door in the kitchen, setting her briefcase down before finding her children in the dining room. They were sitting at the table, doing their homework with juice boxes and the stems from grapes between them. Proud of them for getting a healthy afternoon snack, she kissed both on the head as a greeting.

"Papa's still asleep on the couch," Henry said, frowning.

She sighed, nodding. "I'm going to check on him and then I'll make us something to eat."

"Okay, Mom," Regan said. "I hope you can help Papa feel better."

"I hope so too." Regina took the medicine into the living room to see how Robin was doing.

She flipped on the lamp, lighting up the room, and knelt by the couch to study him. His skin was ashen and she noticed a dry facecloth on his forehead, no doubt put there by Henry to try to reduce his fever like Regina often did for her children. She removed it and located the thermometer, holding it against his forehead. It registered a new temperature for him—103. He was getting hotter.

Regina gently shook him awake. "Robin, Robin, wake up," she said softly.

"What?" He sat up straight, eyes wide but unfocused. "Oh God, what time is it?"

"A little after five. Regan called me to say you weren't feeling well," she explained, easing him back down onto the couch.

He coughed, a wet one that seemed to rattle around his chest. It made Regina wince and she pulled out the bottle of cough syrup she had bought. "Here. This should help you with that."

She poured some dark red liquid into the measuring cup and handed it to him. He downed the medicine and handed the cup back to her. "Thank you. If you give me a few minutes, I'll then get up and help you…"

"No," she said, gently pressing down on his shoulder to keep him from getting up. "You're going to lie here and rest. The only two reasons to get off this couch are to go to the bathroom or to go to bed. Got it?"

He grinned at her. "Yes, ma'am."

"I'm going to change and get dinner started. I'll check on you in a little bit," she said, leaning forward and brushing a kiss against his fevered brow.

By the time she stood and crossed to the doorway, Robin was softly snoring.

* * *

Regina ended up making a hearty beef stew for dinner, mostly because she figured it would be easy enough for Robin to eat. Henry and Regan eagerly dove into the meal, using pieces of Italian bread to sop up the extra broth as they ate their dinner. It took Regina a bit longer to eat hers as she kept getting up to check on Robin, who also slowly ate his stew. He did finish it, which she was glad to see.

"Why don't you head up to bed and get some sleep? I'll check on you in a bit," she suggested as she gathered up his dirty dishes.

"I'll sleep in the guest bedroom," he said, his voice starting to go. "I don't want you to get sick either."

She shook her head. "It's fine. I've probably already been exposed anyway. And I got the shot."

"So did I," he reminded her before dissolving into a coughing fit.

"Right," she said with a sigh. Still, she wasn't going to give up so easily. "If you sleep in the guest room, how can I check on you through the night?"

He gave her a soft smile. "I'm a big boy, Regina, I can handle it. You get plenty of rest and make sure you stay healthy, okay?"

"Fine," she relented. "But I'm coming upstairs to help you get ready."

"You just want to see me naked," he said, waggling his eyebrows at her. Combined with his hoarse voice, it was more comical than sexy. She rolled her eyes and pushed him toward the stairs.

Robin stopped in their bedroom to change as Regina retrieved a box of tissues from the bathroom. She placed them and a glass of water by the guest bed as Robin entered, dressed in his dark blue pajama pants. Regina shook the medicine bottle. "I'm going to leave this here for you too."

"Thanks," he said, pulling down the blankets. "Are you going to tuck me in?"

She gave him a look. "I guess you're not too sick if you're flirting with me."

"I'll always flirt with you, sweetheart," he said, smiling at her. "Even on my deathbed or if I were in a coma."

"Well, let's hope none of those come now." She pulled the blankets over him before running her fingers through his hair. "Get some rest so you can fight this bug. I love you."

"Love you too," he murmured before rolling over. He snuggled under the blankets and Regina tiptoed out of the room, leaving him to his dreams.

* * *

After putting Robin's discarded clothes in the wash and disinfecting the living room, Regina still sent Henry and Regan to play in their rooms. She even avoided the living room, spending the rest of the evening in her home office. Going through her important numbers, she dialed one and waited for the person to pick up.

"Hello." Prudence Bleu, the principal of Storybrooke Academy, also spoked with an authoritative voice that seemed to put fear into students and parents alike. Regina wished that the person overseeing her children's school was warmer and more welcoming, like Mary Margaret, but for now, she was stuck with Ms. Bleu.

"Ms. Bleu, hello, this is Regina Mills-Colter," she said, trying to sound as pleasant as possible. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Regan got the flu, didn't she? I assure you, Mrs. Colter, that the school was sanitized and that her teacher is diligent about keeping everything clean as well as trying to keep any children she suspects are sick away from her. Of course, even the strictest regime can't keep all diseases out of the school…"

"Regan is fine," Regina told her. "I'm calling about Robin Locksley, the art teacher. He's sick and I'm afraid it might be the flu."

Ms. Bleu was silent for a few moments before asking: "And you know this how?"

Regina sighed. "We told you when you hired him that Robin and I are dating. I gave him permission to take Regan and Henry home, remember? If you look up his employment information, you'll notice his home address is the same as mine."

"Right," Ms. Bleu said, sounding annoyed at having to be corrected. "Well, I'm sorry that he's feeling poorly. You'll keep me updated about his condition?"

"One of us will," Regina promised. "Have a good night."

Ending the call, she then turned to her computer and sent out an email to her sister. She wrote that something had come up so she had to reschedule their call from the morning to the afternoon, not caring if it inconvenienced Zelena. After all, she had far more than inconvenienced Regina and could deal with a call that would technically be after hours for her.

"Mom?" Henry asked, appearing in the doorway. He was already dressed in his Captain America pajamas and Regina could see Regan standing behind him in her Frozen ones. "It's time for bed."

"Yes, it is. Have you brushed your teeth yet?" she asked. When they shook their heads, she sent them to the bathroom and watched as they brushed their teeth.

She then told them to climb into bed, following Henry into his room first. He climbed into his bed and she tucked him in, kissing his forehead. "Good night, sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," he said, yawning as he rolled over. She tucked the sheets around him before straightening up. Across from her was a blank wall but she could see the outlines of Robin's pencil. He was going to paint Hogwarts onto the wall for Henry, which delighted the boy. It made her smile and promise herself to get Robin back to full health so he could continue working on it.

Regina then headed into Regan's room, her smile growing bigger as she glimpsed the sunflowers Robin had just finished painting onto the girl's wall. Their big yellow petals made the room seem brighter and Regan lay on her side, looking at them with a happy smile.

"Okay, sweetheart, light's out," Regina said, pulling blankets up to Regan's chin. "The sunflowers will be there in the morning."

"Yes, Mom," Regan replied with a sigh, rolling over to face her. "I love you."

Regina kissed her forehead, just like she had with Henry. "I love you too. Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite."

"I won't," Regan said, giggling. She then grew serious. "You'll take care of Papa, right?"

"I will," Regina promised her daughter. She ran her hand over her daughter's hair. "Don't worry. He'll be fine soon."

Regan nodded, closing her eyes as she snuggled closer to her Teddy bear. Confident her daughter would be asleep shortly, Regina walked out of the room and shut the lights off. She closed the door behind her and sighed.

Feeling tired, she decided to get ready for bed herself. She first decided to check on Robin, opening the door to the guest bedroom. He snored softly, still sound asleep. Regina took the thermometer she left by his bed and checked his temperature—99 degrees. She breathed a sigh of relief, silently thanking the makers of the medicine that it was working. Hopefully he got plenty of sleep and would feel better in the morning.

She took a shower before changing into her pajamas. Climbing into bed, she tried to ignore that Robin wasn't lying there beside her. It had only been a few months since he had moved in with her and the children, but she still missed having him beside her as she fell asleep. She missed how he would wrap his arms around her and hold her close, missed how his warm breath would tickle the back of her neck as they both feel asleep together.

_It's only for a few days_ , she told herself as she turned off her light. _Once he feels better, then he'll be back in bed with you. It's just another reason to make sure he gets better as soon as possible._

* * *

The next morning, Regina got Henry and Regan ready for school before sending them off with Violet Camelot and her father. She made sure they buckled up before looking through the rolled down passenger window at Mr. Knight. "Thank you so much for this," she said.

"Any time," he assured her. He then looked at the two. "Say goodbye to your mother."

"Bye, Mom!" they said in unison, waving along with Violet at her.

Regina waved back and kept waving until Mr. Knight's car disappeared around the corner. She then headed back into the house and up the stairs to check on Robin. Most of the water in his glass was gone and she noticed the fill line in the medicine bottle was lower than the night before. She guessed that meant he had woken during the night to take some more and to drink some of the water.

Now, though, he was sound asleep. His cheek was pressed against the pillow and one of his arms dangled off the bed. Robin continued to snore, which told her his nose was still clogged. His breathing also sounded ragged and she winced as he let out another wet cough.

She shook him gently. "Robin, it's time to wake up. You have an appointment with Dr. Whale soon."

He groaned, rolling onto his back, but opened his eyes. "My throat feels like sandpaper," he croaked.

"Here," she replied, holding out the water. "Drink this. I'm going to take your temperature."

Robin nodded, sitting up as he sipped the water. She pressed the thermometer to his forehead and when it beeped, she glanced at the screen and frowned. His temperature was back up to 102 degrees. "You're still feverish."

"Makes sense. I still feel like shit," he replied, coughing again. He rubbed his chest when he was done. "Fuck, that hurt."

"I'm going to get you some clothes. You think you can make it to the bathroom?" she asked.

He nodded before standing up. She watched him waver on his feet and caught him as he fell back onto the bed. "Never mind. The room is spinning."

"Okay. I'll help you to the bathroom and then I'll get your clothes. Let's go." She grabbed his arm and helped him up. Together, they made it to the bathroom and she left him to use it by himself.

She returned within minutes with his clothes and found him stumbling out of the bathroom. Regina shook her head. "You could've waited for me."

"You know me. I've always been impatient," he said, falling onto the bed again. "I do wish the room would hold still."

"Come on, let's get you dressed and to the hospital. Hopefully Doctor Whale can help stop the room," she said, laying out his clothes.

He nodded and together, they got ready to head out to the hospital.

* * *

Dr. Whale confirmed that Robin did have the flu. He prescribed some medicine, not only for Robin but for the whole family as a precautionary measure. "I would also like to see Regan as soon as possible," he told Regina. "Just in case."

"Understandable. I'll try to bring her in tomorrow," Regina promised as she helped Robin back into his coat.

"And as for this one, make sure he takes the medicine, gets plenty of rest and plenty of water," Dr. Whale instructed as he motioned to Robin. "Monitor his temperature and if it goes above one hundred three degrees, please bring him back to the hospital."

She nodded. "I will. Thank you, Victor."

"Feel better, Robin," Whale said, shaking the man's hand. "I'll see you in a few days to see how you are doing."

Robin groaned before saying: "Thank you, doctor. I hope I'm better company by then."

"Me too," Whale replied before Regina escorted Robin from the room. She got him into the car and headed toward the pharmacy to pick up everyone's medicine.

Once they got home, she pointed to the stairs. "Back to bed for you. I'll bring you up something to eat. Do you want a sandwich or soup?"

"Soup, please. It'll be easier," he said, rubbing his throat.

She nodded. "Okay, I'll be right up. You go rest."

* * *

Regina carried up a tray to Robin. She had a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a glass of ginger ale on it as well as his first round of medicine to take once he had something in his stomach. Opening the door, she smiled. "I'm sorry. I only had the chicken noodle soup for children. I hope you like star-shaped noodles," she said.

He grinned as he sat up in bed. "I usually prefer dinosaur-shaped ones but star-shaped will be fine."

"The life of a parent, huh?" She placed the tray over his lap as she sat on the edge of the bed beside him.

"Worth it though," Robin replied, tucking the napkin into the t-shirt he wore.

She nodded. "Absolutely."

"Though you don't have to feed me," he said, winking. "That's a plus, right?"

"True." She sighed, not wanting to leave his side but fearing she must. "Do you want me to leave you to eat in peace?"

He frowned as his spoon hovered in midair, clutched between the fingers of his right hand. "Why would I want you to do that? I love spending time with you. Unless you don't want to get sick, which I totally understand."

"That's what the medicine is for."

"Still, it would pain me to think that I got any of you sick. Especially Regan. It's the last thing I want to do, to make her mad that her father landed her in the hospital," he said, finally placing the spoonful of soup in his mouth.

Regina shook her head. "She wouldn't be mad. You're still her hero. I daresay you'll be her hero forever."

His smile returned. "She'll be mine forever too."

"Anyway, we'll take all the precautions to make sure she doesn't get sick," she continued. "Though I wouldn't put it past her to put on a surgical mask and gloves in order to come in here to check on you herself. She wants to make sure you're okay."

He smirked. "I seem to have an effect on Mills' women."

"Smug bastard," she teased him affectionately.

" _Your_ smug bastard," he said.

She rolled her eyes, patting his arm. "Eat up and then get some rest. Doctor's orders."

"You should probably get some rest too," he suggested, taking another spoonful of soup. "And have you eaten?"

"I will once you finish," she promised, hearing her stomach growl. "And I have some things I need to do before the children get home."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I have the flu but I have the feeling I might have to tie you to the bed."

She smirked as she leaned forward. "Save the fantasies for when you can follow through on them."

"Then I guess I better take my medicine so we can make that as soon as possible," he said with a wink.

Regina watched as he took the different pills prescribed to him before she stood, taking the tray. "Okay, you get some rest and I'll go get something to eat."

He nodded, snuggling under the covers. "Thank you, Regina. I love you."

"Love you too," she said, watching as he started to fall asleep. She closed the door so he could sleep in silence and headed downstairs to keep her promise to Robin.

* * *

Regina stepped out of her office and wanted to punch a wall. Of course Zelena didn't see any problems with how she had run the American offices in Regina's absence. "Honestly, Regina, a little competition is good. You can't be such a micromanager," she had argued.

"I'm not trying to be a micromanager," Regina had replied. "I'm not trying to get everyone to agree with me. I just want to know my officers will at least align with me and not cause anarchy in my company!"

" _Our_ company," Zelena had shot back testily.

Regina clenched her teeth. "I'm the CEO and President. Don't make me have to come over to London to make sure everything is running smoothly there. You don't want me starting to overturn rocks, Zelena."

"Oh no," her sister said. "I welcome it. Why don't you come out tomorrow?"

"Robin is sick. But I'll come over next week when the children have off so we can have a family outing," Regina replied.

She could hear her sister grinding her teeth. "How wonderful. I can't wait to see my niece and nephew again. As well as meet the man you're now shacking up with."

"Don't make it sound so sordid, Zelena. Robin and I are in love so why shouldn't we share a house? We already share a daughter," Regina reminded her.

Zelena sighed. "Fine, fine. Well, just let me know the details. Now if you excuse me, I'd like to have a social life myself so I'm going to end this call."

"Talk to you soon… _sis_." Regina ended the call, feeling pretty smug about everything. She could imagine her sister running into the office the next day to get everything ready for Regina's impending trip so it appears all was well in the London office.

She could try, Regina thought, but I'm going to uncover the truth. And I bet it isn't pretty.

Regina opened the door to Robin's room, carrying his next round of medicines. He sat up in bed, smiling at her. "What has you in such a good mood, lovely?"

"How do you feel about a trip to London next month?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. She dumped the pills into his open palm.

Once he took a gulp of water to wash them down, he tilted his head. "Who would be going to London?"

"All of us," she said. "Me, you, Regan and Henry. We'd stay at the townhouse my company owns there and you can do whatever you want with the children while I scare the shit out of my sister."

He chuckled. "You would join us though, right? At some point after scaring the shit out of your sister, I mean."

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I would join you three. We can have some family time."

"I like the sound of that," he said, reaching for her hand. He was hit by a coughing fit and needed the arm to cover his mouth as he hunched over. Regina moved to support him, rubbing his back until the jag ended.

She eased him back and she sighed. "You sound worse."

He took another sip of the water before croaking out: "It's the medicine. One is an expectorant so I bring the phlegm up."

"Ugh," she replied, crinkling the nose.

"Yeah, I know," he said with a smirk. "Very sexy."

She leaned back on her haunches. "I guess it's a good thing. You need to get that phlegm out of your lungs so it doesn't get worse."

He nodded before turning his head to cough again. Robin cleared his throat. "I just wish it didn't hurt my throat."

"Maybe I can find a lozenge for you. How does that sound?" she asked.

"That sounds good," he said. "If it's not a bother."

She shook her head as she climbed off the bed. "It's not. I have to get ready to get the kids anyway."

"Right. I can't believe the day flew by so fast," he said, leaning back against the pillow.

"You've been convalescing," she reminded him. "And mostly asleep."

He nodded. "Good point. And I'll probably be asleep by the time you get back."

"That's a good thing. You need sleep to get better." She left the room and headed downstairs, retrieving a bag of throat lozenges. Regina returned to his room, leaving it on his nightstand. "Have these whenever you're ready. I'm going to get the kids."

"Thank you," he said, yawning halfway through it. He rolled over and fell asleep, still fatigued from his body's fight against the virus.

* * *

"Remember you need to keep it down. Your father is probably still sleeping," she told the two as she let Regan and Henry into the house. They nodded, following her into the kitchen. She had told them that they needed to take medicine and each took their doses without complaint.

Regina then sent them to their rooms to change from their uniforms. She checked on Robin, taking his temperature as he slept. Relief swept through her when she saw that it was under one hundred degrees. All the medicine was working. They just needed him to rest up, kick his cough and she was certain he would be back to normal soon enough.

Until then, she and her two little helpers would take very good care of him.


End file.
